Noon Hour Philosophers takes on language, cultural barriers faced by non-English speakers

Dr. Karie Mindock, Department Chair of the English Language Learning department at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), introduced the concept of cultural humility during her lecture at Noon Hour Philosophers on Wednesday.

Her address, “How to Communicate with Non-Native English Speakers,” provided guidance for learning to connect across cultural and language barriers. 

Noon Hour Philosophers is an ongoing speaker series covering a wide array of subjects from local history to culture to politics. The series runs through Feb. 18, every Wednesday at noon at First English Lutheran. It is free to the public.

“(Cultural humility) means that you just respect other people’s differences, whether you know what they are or not,” Mindock explained. “You’re willing to ask questions and admit when you don’t know.”

She gave the example of a worker at St. Joe’s Food Panty who may hesitate to ask a person about their food preferences, such as whether they eat meat or pork. 

“Just don’t be afraid to ask,” she said. “That’s an example of cultural humility. Just being willing to ask and find out.  Being interested, listening and maybe getting a little better with Google Translator on your phone.”

Mindock said Americans should bring awareness into any interaction with a non-English speaker. Different cultures have different forms of communication, she pointed out, noting that Americans tend to look you in the eye, shake hands and be very direct.  That is not the same everywhere. In some cultures, men and women do not touch.  It may be that the culture requires looking down instead of into another’s eyes.  Or perhaps, it is considered disrespectful to ask questions.  Proceed slowly and with understanding as English learners adapt to American culture.

It is also important to remember that many newcomers have experienced significant trauma, not only in their home countries but also upon arrival in the United States, Mindock said, using as an example an Afghan woman who had to leave everything behind while fleeing her country. 

“They told (them) to go to an airplane.  She didn’t know what that was,” Mindock said. “They told (them) to sit down in an airplane.  She didn’t know what that meant.  She thought they were going to kill her. She didn’t know. She’d never seen anything like it. 

“Then they said, now we’re going to land in the U.S. And she said, ‘well, now they’re going to kill us.’ They brought her to Madison and said line up. What do you think that meant to someone who doesn’t know what’s going on? That was just her first day in our country.”

And that was just the beginning of the woman’s distress. Once in the U.S., the woman, who had never been to school or learned to read or write in her own language, suddenly needed to learn and write English.  She also needed to learn how to drive, use technology, to register her child for school, and so many other things.  

An exhibit at the Museum at the Castle in Appleton called Our Afghan Neighbors tells the stories of eight refugees from Afghanistan.   Most of the stories are of students from FVTC. The exhibit can be viewed virtually.

Mindock also addressed the added complication of American dialect and idioms that make it that much more difficult for non-English speakers to adapt. 

“When you’re from Wisconsin, you speak funny,” said Mindock. Speak slowly and with distinction, she recommended. Students often ask her, “‘Teacher, what is a didja?’”

She used as other examples of confusing American speech such English reductions as betcha, gotcha, kinda, sorta, gonna and should’ve.

Idioms are another barrier for the non-English speaker attempting to navigate our language. Avoid them, she said. 

“I could say it’s raining cats and dogs,” she said. “I could say things about letting the cat out of the bag. If you’re not from the U.S. or a native speaker, you don’t understand a lot of idioms.”

Measurements of temperature, time and date may pose other obstacles. Celsius, not Fahrenheit, may be their measure for temperature.  Most languages do not refer to time in quarters, such as "quarter to" or "quarter past".  And many languages do not list the month first when writing the date.

Mindock said people should understand that so much of the disparaging rhetoric around immigrants is simply false.

“Most of the people I meet are here to learn English, to work, and to have a better life,” she said. “Because they didn’t have a life where they came from in a war-torn country.”

Upcoming Noon Hour Philosophers topics: 

Jan. 14: “Nienhaus Senior Activity Center” by Dawn Gohlke, Executive Director, and Mary Beth Nienhaus

Jan. 21: “Meet the New Dean: Chris Jenkins” by Chris Jenkins, Dean of the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music

Jan. 28: “World Relief Efforts and Community Support” by Gail Cornelius, World Relief Organization

Feb. 4: “Helping Veterans One Mission at a Time” by Lorraine van Kampen, Old Glory Honor Flights, WWII Veteran Program

Feb. 11: “Mentoring Matters: The Impact of Big Brothers Big Sisters” by Jaime Kriewaldt, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Feb. 18: “Brain Myths: Origins, Misconceptions, and Actualities” by Dave Bailey, Professor of Biology, St. Norbert College

Check Noon Hour Philosopher’s  Facebook page for current information or cancellations. 

If you have questions, a speaker suggestion, or are interested in speaking, please contact Ken Melchert at ken@harpgallery.com.

 Noon Hour Philosophers takes on language, cultural barriers faced by non-English speakers © 2026 by Carol Lenz is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0